Jongkook blinked, drifted his attention to his manager whom gestured him to answer the call. He realized then someone’s calling his phone. He retrieved his phone and saw the caller ID: Detective Jung.

***

“You look stunning.”

Jihyo harbored her look outside the window. It’s really awkward inside the car, with only two of them alone. It’s not like Jihyo didn’t like her CEO, after all they once shared a relationship. It’s just now that it ended, the atmosphere isn’t quite right. The CEO gave her lots of attention, sometimes even restricted her movement, and meddling into her business. Though he’s indeed her CEO, his restriction isn’t fit his role as CEO. It’s something that an over possessive lover does. Jihyo didn’t fond of it in the slightest bit. She didn’t like it when he abruptly took control over her and she detested his special treatment toward her.

“It’s unusual for you to pick me,” she commented at last, when the silent felt suffocating.

He chuckled lightly. “What? Am I not allowed to pick you?”

She sighed. It already happened several times. “It’s not that you’re not allowed, I’m just questioning it.”

“It’s alright, I just feel like it. You need it too,” he said as if it solved everything.

That’s the main reason Jihyo broke up with him. The CEO had strong need to control Jihyo, to treat her as if she can’t make decision on her own. The CEO tried to mold her into dependent woman. He didn’t give Jihyo room for breath, let alone spread her wings.

“I can go home alone, you know,” Jihyo murmured.

“What? Are you going to ask your man fellow to drive you home?” the CEO asked. “I save you from the trouble to ask them, aren’t I?” he said with laughter.

The actress kept silent, didn’t even bother to continue the pointless argument. It’s really pointless. Whatever she said won’t matter since the CEO already decided. Therefore Jihyo just looked outside her window to prevent herself to pick a fight.

That’s when she realized that they’re currently in unfamiliar road.

“Where are we going?” she asked him confused.

The CEO didn’t answer immediately. He took a turn to highway, went outside of town. “Oppa?” Jihyo called.

He hummed an answer but speeding, that didn’t go unnoticed by her. “I ask where we are?” she repeated.

“What question is that? Of course we’re going to your celebration party.”

Jihyo watched as the crowd and city light started to dissipate and trees became dominant. “I don’t know this road,” she said, realized. “It’s not the way to my house.”

“Right it isn’t,” the CEO replied with smile apparent on his face.

At the time, when the CEO stole a glance toward her with his somehow cold gaze and cold smirk, a shiver went down her spine. Something’s definitely wrong is constantly repeated in her mind. She didn’t like the sudden tense atmosphere and the stoic and cold expression the CEO had on his face. Moreover, they were in the middle of nowhere, only two of them. The actress could feel fear slowly crept inside her, made her heart beat faster and her palms clammy with sweat.

“Where do you take me?” she asked once again, force herself to calm and analyzed the situation she was in.

Baek Changjo let out a monotone laughter. “Are you afraid at me?”

Jihyo didn’t answer, stubbornly stared straight at him with unwavering eyes even though she felt cold. Changjo replied, after several moments of silence and exchanged glance. “I take you to the party, just as I told you before.”

She turned her body to face her company. “Where’s exactly this party?” she pressed. Behind her body, her hand rummaged through her purse, searched for her phone.

“You’ll see,” Changjo said, slight smirk tipped off his lips.

Jihyo needed to take a few deep breath and steel control to keep herself calm. In the corner of her mind a siren of warning wailing all over. She got a hold of her phone, but it seemed impossible to use it without seeing. She fumbled it over, hopeful she could call her first speed dial.

Please get through please get through, she chanted.

“You know, I don’t like your choice,” he started, mockery evident in his voice. “You spend so much time with those guys. It gave you a bad rumor.”

“Yeah?” She probed, urged him to go on while she’s on desperate attempted to save her life.

“You should hear what they say about you and that bulky singer. It’s terrible. I always told you to choose wisely, darling. See, he isn’t a good influence for you. He just some old singer with gist of sensation and they all went crazy over him.”

“Jongkook oppa is the best gentleman I’ve met,” she defended.

“Maybe something blinded your eyes.”

Jihyo ignored the last comment. She looked around and noticed they went somewhere quieter, almost no sign of life. She doubted anybody knew this place. The loud sound next to her made her jump on her seat.

“What’s that?”

The actress watched as dangerous glint flashed passed Changjo’s eyes. He looked at her with rage that Jihyo never saw before. In a blink of eye, he became someone she never knows.

“What is this?” he repeated shakily, without waiting for an answer he managed to snatch Jihyo’s phone, harshly knocked her hand in the process.

Jihyo gasped while Changjo’s expression grew darker as he looked at the bright screen. He pressed some button and threw the phone. It made a loud sound before landed on the back seat.

“You’re trying to call that brute. Are you really like him that much? YOU LIKE HIM, DON’T YOU?!”

“Stop screaming!” Jihyo managed to say in the barrage of question.

“You , you finally show your color, huh?”

Her head snapped toward his direction, couldn’t believe what she just heard. He banged her fists on the wheel and his rapid breath could be heard in the entire car.

“How many times you spread your legs for him, huh? HOW MANY TIMES?!”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“ANSWER ME!!”

“No,” she answered, succumbed to the ballistic anger. “No, I’m never spread my legs for anyone.”

She studied when Changjo gritted his teeth and bang the steer wheel once again. “You think I will believe that? You think I’m stupid, don’t you?”

The actress lost for words and for what to do. She never knew this side of Changjo, she never experience this kind of situation before. Cold sweat formed on her face and her back. Her heart ached for beating too hard. The terror numbed her mind, paralyzed her body. Inside the now quiet car, her rapid breath could be heard. All over again, her mind screaming for help.

The car bumped and the speed kept accelerating. It was another shock from the car that brought her mind to race and her body to move. With the shaky hand, she unlaced her seat-belt. The click was loud and both parties realized it. At the corner of her eye, she could see Changjo smirked. Her hand trailed over her side door to grab the handle. It was locked, of course.

“Could you pull over?” she finally asked, hated the tremble in her voice.

Changjo chuckled. “Oh, but why? Does my little Jihyo afraid?”

Jihyo took a sharp breath. “Just stop the car.”

The answer only a long, cold laugh and the car didn’t show any sign of stopping.

The actress took another deep breath before she opened the locked door.

***

Jongkook grew pale. His phone was still on his ear. His mind can’t process what exactly happened. It felt like years ago when he got a call from the detective. Their conversation somehow lingered in his mind.

“Hey, Jongkook-ssi. You want me to gather information about Taeho. Your hunch is right. Something’s fishy about him. I still don’t know what, I need more time to decipher his data. But one thing is sure, he’s involved into something. My information stated that he went out at odd hour, to somewhere hidden. Nobody, even his manager followed. He met with someone.”

“Who is it?”

“Baek Changjo.”

After since the name Baek Changjo appeared in their conversation, Jongkook felt uneasy. The next call from Jihyo, confirmed his fear.

At first he felt surge of glad when Jihyo called him. He was hoping it would be her telling him that she arrived home safely. Something odd happened when he picked up the call. Jihyo didn’t talk to him, not even once. He could hear Jihyo’s distant voice, along with a man voice. Jongkook called for her several times, unable to comprehend what’s going on. Beside him, Kapjin now and then stole a glance, curious.

And then he heard a man’s scream.

Shock is an understatement. Jongkook almost lost grip over his phone. He stilled when he heard a ruckus over the line. The voice sounded far that Jongkook can’t hear the words clearly, but he knew it was argue.

He became really tensed when the shout repeated. Next to him, Kapjin sensed something’s wrong. The manager asked what’s wrong but it fell on deaf ears. Jongkook focused solely on the voice over the lines. It needed a nudge from Kapjin for Jongkook to react. He instructed for his manager to call detective Jung, which Kapjin raised his brows. He didn’t know about the detective.

Jongkook put Jihyo’s call on speaker while he’s looking for his other phone, mind racing on whom to call. Hearing the ruckus over the phone, Kapjin shut his mouth. Instead he tightened his hand on the wheel and took a sharp turn and went back to where they were going.

“Let’s go to Jihyo-ssi home,” he said, half attempted to soothe Jongkook out of worry.

The singer had not yet to answer when Jihyo’s scream pierced their ears.

By : Lady Deb

I'm baaaaaack!!!!

I'm sorry for the loooong wait. I have no excuse, really sorry. But I'm really touched by all the comments. Thank you very much for waiting.